Game of Thrones may see a Stark reunion, but all eyes are on a deceptive trickster

The new trailer for Game of Thrones’ seventh season brings forth a number of premonitions about what may occur this season, but two things seem blatantly obvious: the Starks will probably be reunited and Petyr Baelish is up to his usual tricks.

[Warning: The following contains potential spoilers for Game of Thrones’ seventh season.]

It feels like Game of Thrones has been building up to a Stark reunion for quite some time. Sansa managed to get back home in the fifth season and, just a little while later, Jon Snow became the King in the North. In a new photo released by Entertainment Weekly this week, we got our first glimpse of Arya, decked out in heavier clothing designed for colder temperatures, alluding to the fact that she may be close to Winterfell. When combined with the scenes we got of Arya in the trailer, it certainly seems like the middle child is closer to home than she’s been in a very long time.

As for the youngest Stark, Bran, actor Isaac Hempstead told The Independent last year that after having a vision confirming Jon Snow wasn’t the son of Ned Stark — and therefore not his brother — Bran would return home to confront him. He’s currently beyond the Wall at this point, but with a new goal in mind, he may return home at some point.

There’s a good chance this season will see all of the living Starks back at Winterfell; an event it feels like fans have been waiting a long time to see happen. Based on the footage in the new trailer, however, it won’t be entirely smooth sailing thanks to Petyr Baelish, otherwise known as Littlefinger.

It’s clear that Littlefinger is set to continue his smear campaign against anyone who stands in his way. We can see him with Sansa in the new trailer, but even more interesting, is his interaction with Snow in the crypts of Winterfell. It’s clear that he says something to the oldest Stark that Snow disagrees with and, as the two brawl, the only thing that springs to mind is Baelish being the person who tells Snow about his true parentage.

The last time that Baelish was in those same crypts was during the fifth season where he hinted to Sansa that he knew more about Lyanna Stark than anyone in the family realized. Baelish may know the truth that Ned Stark and others have been trying to hide for years, but why would he want to injure Snow’s self-esteem and cause that rift? Simple: Baelish wants to throne in the North and by making it seem like Snow isn’t the sole inheritor he claimed to be, Baelish has a better chance of taking the spot.

Naturally there are a medley of other things happening around Westeros, including Daenerys getting ready for the battle of her lifetime and Cersei Lannister figuring out how to remain queen in the wake of an impending war. The trailer is chock full of information that fans will be sure to break down and analyze as the days go on and the premiere edges closer.

Of course, these are all theories for now. Unfortunately, fans won’t know for sure until Game of Thrones’ seventh season returns on July 16.

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